Rain, Rain Go Away!

The other night we got over two inches of rain in an hour or so. There were also heavy winds. The report from my husband that night was that the garden was flattened. I didn’t worry too much, though. I know that plants bounce back and they did for the most part. The beefsteak tomato plant had to be restaked and I had to move the zucchini off the eggplants. The potatoes looked like something had been laying on them but they have since perked up too.

Flattened potatoes

The rattlesnake beans have reached and exceeded the top of their trellis. The whole thing was a bit saggy after the storm but I think that was caused just as much by the weight of the plants as by the wind and heavy rain. I thought that next year I might make a taller trellis but I don’t want to have to bring a ladder into the garden to pick the beans.

Rattlesnake beans topping out their trellis

 The high amount of rain we’ve been getting this summer hasn’t been too bad for the garden in general. Drainage seems to be good and I haven’t had to water since probably May when I first planted. The chard, however, is suffering. It has been infected with cercospora leaf spot. The fungal disease attacks chard, spinach and beets. Favorable conditions are high heat, high humidity, and prolonged leaf wetness at night. It can survive in the soil for up to two years. Infected plants should be buried to keep it from spreading.

Chard infected with cercospora leaf spot

I’ve been able to salvage a few leaves of chard that hadn’t gotten any spots yet but I think the rest is a loss. I harvested the spinach before it became an issue and it hasn’t seemed to cause too much trouble with the beets. I don’t eat the beet greens, anyway, and we’re not in the business of selling beetroot by the pound. In severe cases, the fungus keeps the beetroot from growing to full size. So, I’ll bury the infected plants and choose another bed for the chard, beets and spinach next year. I’m certainly glad this is just a home hobby garden for me and not a commercial enterprise.

Here are a few more pictures from in and around the garden:

Two honeybees working in an acorn squash blossom

Redneck rabbit

Rattlesnake bean flower

Baby lettuce leaves

Mama deer

Lovely pink turnip

I’m out of town for three days and this happens…

 

I went to the Adirondacks on a brief visit and when I got back it was like the garden had gone crazy while I was gone. A few warm, sunny days after a bunch of rain will do that. The lettuce seeds I planted have started. There are dozens of tomatoes just waiting to turn red. The zucchini, cucumber and pumpkin plants are all starting to set fruit. The pole beans and the bush beans are in blossom. I picked a good handful of snap peas yesterday evening for dinner and today I picked turnips and beets. I imagine that soon I will have more produce than I know what to do with. I love it when that happens!

zucchini

pumpkin

beans

turnips

beets

There was one unfortunate occurrence that will account for the ominous title of this post. The daylilies by the porch were just on the brink of fully blossoming when I left town. Just before I got back one of the several deer that frequent our yard nipped off the majority of the buds. Sigh. I knew that could happen. I just hoped it wouldn’t. There are some buds remaining so I might get to enjoy some flowers. At least I got some pictures of the earliest blooms.

Before the deer came in for a snack

Om nom nom, daylilies

 And here are some more pictures from the garden and around the yard.